Chapter 38: Charging Toward Mount Tiger

Ding Huan carefully stored the mutated fire lizard's horn, and as he prepared to leave, a rapid pounding sound came from afar.

Looking up, Ding Huan saw the Level Three mutated black ape.

This Level Three mutated beast, due to its massive weight, made a dull thud with every step it took.

That Wang Ba thing—even though Ding Huan was eager to leave—he still felt rage surge in his chest at the sight of this Level Three mutated black ape.

He was a Level Two gene cultivator; before, if not for this Level Three mutated black ape leading tens of thousands of mutated beasts in a charge, he wouldn't have feared it at all.

Now, this black ape was alone, missing one eye, with blood continuously dripping from the empty socket. Dozens of wounds on its body oozed blood.

Ding Huan immediately realized this black ape was injured—severely.

Let this Wang Ba thing go raid human settlements, Ding Huan thought with great satisfaction, yet he had no intention of letting it escape.

Grabbing his short knife, Ding Huan charged toward the black ape without hesitation.

Though this black ape possessed some intelligence, it was minimal.

As it fled in panic, seeing Ding Huan approach, it didn't run away—instead, it accelerated straight toward him.

In its limited understanding, humans were useless except for those iron tubes that spat fire.

It had seen this before in Lujang City.

This human had no iron tube—just a knife in his hand? What good was that? Would it even leave a bloody scratch on its hide?

Ding Huan was stunned by this fool's behavior—even the Golden-Masked Thick-Tailed Ape he'd encountered on Mount Beilong had more sense than this black brute.

Doesn't this thing know it's injured? Why charge at him so brazenly? Does it not see him? Or does it not see his knife?

It has absolutely no sense of danger.

As it rushed toward Ding Huan, the black ape leapt into the air, opening its jaws to bite straight for his head.

Ding Huan dropped his backpack, leaned back, and slid along the ground with his entire back pressed flat, raising his short knife as Qi already filled its blade.

"Puff!" The short knife sliced through like cutting tofu.

Ding Huan pulled the knife free and accelerated forward as he slid.

At the exact moment Ding Huan passed, the black ape's blood gushed like a burst dam, instantly staining the ground red where he had been.

Ding Huan exhaled in relief—barely avoided getting covered in filth.

The black ape had been barely holding on, and now, after expending its last strength to attack Ding Huan, its belly split open—it collapsed to the ground, only able to groan weakly.

Ding Huan brushed the dirt off himself, walked to the black ape's side, pulled out his knife, and brought it down in one slash toward its head.

No matter how hard the black ape's skull, it split cleanly in two under Ding Huan's blade.

Ding Huan prodded with his knife—just seconds later, he joyfully pried out a white, round bead from the beast's skull.

Though this black ape was a Level Three beast, Ding Huan hadn't expected it to possess a beast core.

He'd merely slashed open its head out of desperation—and yet, he'd actually found one.

Even if it was the lowest grade, even an unformed beast core, this was the first one he'd ever obtained on Earth.

Beast cores had many uses—Ding Huan quickly wrapped it up, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and hurried away.

About half an hour after Ding Huan left, several soldiers armed with explosive-tipped long spears arrived.

"Captain, is this the black ape?" The soldier at the front spotted it immediately and strode over.

The others behind rushed over in haste.

"That's it. Powerful—who could have sliced open this gene-beast's skull with a single cut?" a soldier wearing a captain's badge exclaimed.

"This must be at least a Xuan-level martial artist."

"Maybe even higher, but it's normal—many strong ones came to Lujang this time."

…

Ding Huan ran nonstop for two hours, then stopped—he needed to decide where to go next.

He didn't need to ask—he knew that after his few students scored well, someone would definitely come looking for him.

Whether with good or ill intent, he shouldn't be out in the open now.

This left Ding Huan deeply frustrated; when he saw Lü Zi was a Level One gene cultivator, he realized he'd grossly underestimated the effect of his gene serum.

He hadn't expected that the potential-boosting gene serum he'd concocted by slapping his own head would be so potent.

He'd known the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies' entrance exams carried great influence, but only after witnessing the Puhai Martial Arts Plaza did he fully grasp just how immense that influence was.

Returning to Yujiang University in Luohe was now certain death.

Yan Xia was already this powerful—think of how many strong ones were in the Gene Alliance and Martial Arts Alliance?

But he had to find a gene laboratory—without one, how could he turn the mutated fire lizard into gene serum?

He'd gathered many herbs on Penglu Mountain, and now he had the mutated fire lizard—he only needed to refine them into gene serum.

Ding Huan rested for a long time but couldn't decide where to hide.

If not for needing a gene laboratory, he could simply vanish into a mountain range and cultivate.

With his current strength, surviving in a mountain range should still be possible.

Helpless, Ding Huan disguised himself as a slightly shrewd herbal merchant.

Two days later, Ding Huan detoured around Lujang City and arrived at Jintang.

Before entering Jintang, he saw his own wanted poster on a massive electronic screen outside the city.

The poster clearly listed his height, photo, and workplace—Yujiang University.

Reason for wanted: During the Blue Star Top Ten Academies' recruitment exam, entered a hotel to rob and murder, killing two innocent people in succession.

Stole several bottles of gene serum and a sum of cash.

Reward: One chance to enter a Planetary Academy or the Wu Mai Mountain Field, one million Alliance coins, and one bottle of top-tier gene serum.

The reward applies even for merely providing his location—proof of accurate information is enough.

If he is captured, the reward is even higher.

Ding Huan frowned. Who the hell was issuing this bounty on him?

But Ding Huan immediately saw the agency issuing the bounty: the Gene Alliance.

Besides the Gene Alliance, four of the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies were also involved, including Wu Mai Mountain Field.

The bounty even deliberately misled people: killing during the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies enrollment exam? That could only mean killing candidates.

Under normal circumstances, people protect candidates. This Ding Huan was utterly ruthless—he not only robbed candidates of their money, but killed them after stealing. Was this merely excessive?

And Wu Mai Mountain Field—Ding Huan remembered it was one of the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies, yet located within Huaxia territory.

Why would a university within Huaxia territory collude with the Gene Alliance against him?

What made Ding Huan speechless was that the bounty claimed he had stolen gene serums.

Couldn't they accuse him of something else? The Gene Alliance's gene serums? He wouldn't even bend down to pick them up if they were lying on the ground.

Ding Huan entered Jintang City. He knew this bounty must have been issued by the Gene Alliance, in collusion with several other academies, during the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies enrollment exam.

In his past life, Seeing Qu Yi died in a Gene Alliance laboratory—he was sold to them for human gene experiments, then forcibly sent into space for further gene trials.

If he hadn't been lucky, where would he be now?

Unless he destroyed the Gene Alliance, he would never resolve this grudge.

The Gene Alliance had two headquarters: one in the Americas, the other in Puhai, Huaxia…

As Ding Huan thought of this, he suddenly halted. He seemed to have grasped something.

For the Gene Alliance to issue this bounty, they must have held a meeting—they could never have acted on their own.

The Gene Alliance's leader was apparently a foreigner. They took advantage of this enrollment exam to convene.

And their headquarters was in Puhai…

Thinking of Puhai, Ding Huan knew what he had grasped.

At this moment, going anywhere else was unsuitable: first, he couldn't find a suitable gene laboratory; second, with this bounty out, every place would investigate strangers.

Even Jintang—he couldn't stay here.

After all, the reward offered was far too generous.

Only Puhai made sense—Puhai was where the bounty was issued, and also where the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies enrollment exam was being held.

It was easy to imagine that Puhai was now filled with unfamiliar faces.

Nearly ten million people had come from around the world—how could there not be countless strangers?

And right now, Puhai was hosting the enrollment exam—who would dare search it? Who would dare conduct random investigations?

As a world-class metropolis, Puhai had countless high-end gene laboratories.

Wasn't it simple to rent one?

Going to Puhai had another advantage: the lamp casts no shadow.

Everyone assumed he would flee as far away as possible to escape—who could possibly think he hadn't run at all, but had come straight to the Gene Alliance's doorstep?

The third advantage: once in Puhai, he could keep watch over the Gene Alliance.

In his past life, Seeing Qu Yi was taken away by the Gene Alliance right after the Blue Star's Top Ten Academies enrollment exam ended.

This time, by coming to Puhai, he could secretly look out for Seeing Qu Yi.

Decided—he would go to Puhai.